THE BLUES BUSTERS

In these tough times, depression is all around us.  It is psychological, economic, and both reinforce each other.  It was estimated in 2004 by Australian public mental health officials that 25 per cent of us suffer from clinically diagnosable depression at any given point in time.  Probably all of us are psychologically depressed at one time or another.  According to Sydney clinical psychologists, Susan Tanner and Jillian Ball in the classic book BEATING THE BLUES (1989) “at any one time, one in five Australian adults is feeling down and one in ten is showing more significant signs of depression.  In fact, depression has been described as the common cold of the psyche.”

How do we “bust the blues”?  In a March, 1992 issue AMERICAN HEALTH, health writer Susan Chollar interviewed U.S. experts as to what they do to overcome their own depression.  It was an interesting list.  We are not talking heavy antidepressant drugs.  We are talking informal, personal remedies.  The list is interesting too since it shows when it comes to “blues busting” or “mood boosting”, we are all pretty much the same---professional and non-professional personnel in mental health still have a body, a brain, a mind, and act out behaviors.  We all develop our own individual ways of lifting our spirits.  Here are ten suggestions. 

1. A Good Laugh. 
According to Stanford University psychiatrist, Dr. William Fry, humor may not be the first thing to come to mind when you are feeling down, but a strong dose of belly laughter is a great prescription for beating the blues.  Dr. Fry says, “humor is very powerful--both psychologically and physiologically.  Find out what makes you laugh, then pull together sources for that humor so you will have it when you need it.  I keep the complete set of Calvin and Hobbes humor books conveniently close at hand.”

2. A Glass of Milk. 
Dr. Larry Christensen, a psychologist at Texas A&M University, claims that if your favorite comfort food is a chocolate bar aimed at producing a quick mood high, reconsider and reach instead for a carton of milk.  Dr. Christensen argues that “foods loaded with added simple sugars give you a brief buzz but eventually backfire, leaving you feeling down or anxious.  Foods rich in calcium, such as dairy products and beans, can help fight symptoms of mild depression.”

3. More Light on the Subject. 
In modern industrial societies, perhaps as many as 15 per cent of adults suffer from mild forms of depression during certain times of the year.  This is called seasonal affective disorder (SAD) whose symptoms are low moods and energy troughs, especially during winter.  According to Dr. Paul Schwartz, clinical research psychiatrist at the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, Maryland, “increase your total amount of light exposure, particularly in the early morning and late afternoons.  Take a walk, prune the tree that is blocking the sun from your apartment or even brighten up your wallpaper.  Artificial light helps too---the brighter the better.”

4. A Special Creation. 
Stanford University psychologist, Dr. Susan Nolen-Hocksema, says that when she feels down, she pulls out a magazine containing recipes and whips up an elaborate pasta dish.  The creative process lifts her mood.  She says that “activity is better than passivity.  Do something that gives you a sense of pleasure, control, or accomplishment.”

5. A Pleasurable Fantasy. 
According to Dr. Sharon Nathan, a clinical psychiatrist at the Cornell University Medical College, one should “focus on something pleasurable.  You might remember a specific sexual scene or simply being with your partner.  If your fantasy leads to actual sex, then the release of tension is not only pleasurable but also relaxing.”

6. Smell the Flowers. 
Scents can be potent memory stimulants, and they may even evoke higher moods as well.  Dr. Robert Baron, a psychologist at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, found that his subjects behave more cooperatively in rooms filled with air fresheners.  In fact, Dr. Baron has experimented extensively on the effects of aromatherapy on moods.  He suggests the smell of spiced apple or lavender for relaxation and peppermint as the best “pick-me-up”.

7. Watching Fish in a Fish Tank. 
Drs. Robert Ornstein and David Sobel share a favorite mood booster:  aquarium staring.  Authors of THE HEALING BRAIN (1988) and HEALTHY PLEASURES (1989), they say that gazing at such colourful creatures gliding around can keep the blood pressure down and invite a state of relaxation, perhaps by focusing attention on something pleasant.

8. A Good Sweat. 
Drs. Ornstein and Sobel also claim that indulging in a sauna can relieve “down” feelings.  They point out that 30 minutes in a sauna “not only reduces tension but may also raise blood levels of endorphins--natural painkillers thought to produce feelings of well-being and euphoria.”

9. A Flight of Stairs. 
However, when you are feeling low and yet you are trapped in a situation where even a few minutes break is impossible, then Dr. Robert Thayer, a psychologist at the California State University at Long Beach, has a suggestion.  He likes to climb stairs.  Dr. Thayer adds, “even a short walk lifts your mood.  Stair climbing may give you a boost because it requires you to defy gravity and taxes your muscles.”

10. Mood Music. 
Music is used in many hospitals as an effective tranquilizer.  Perhaps this is because music may stimulate the release of endorphins.  A strong advocate of music as a mood-booster is Dr. Carol Merle-Fishman.  Dr. Merle-Fishman, a New York psychotherapist and co-author (along with Dr. Shelley Katsh) of THE MUSIC WITHIN YOU (1987), says “start out by matching your music to your current mood, be it anxious or blue, then gradually change the sound until it mirrors the mood you wish to experience.”

Dr. Kerryn Phelps, a long-time medical consultant for the Nine Television Network in Australia and former president of the Australian Medical Association, combines several of the above to boost her moods.  Dr. Phelps says that exercise with music, particularly rock music, “makes it hard to stay miserable.  It gives you a buzz.”  Dr. Phelps adds that “it is important to have a variety of strategies and know what works for you at the time”.  As an alternative to exercise with music, Dr. Phelps prefers “a walk on the beach” and “hearing the sound of waves”.  She says, “I like going back to childhood and having a bit of a wander on the beach.”

It makes one feel better just thinking about it.

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